Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2023 May 22:pyad021. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyad021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Major Depressive Disorders is a chronic and severe psychiatric disorder with poor prognosis and quality of life. Abnormal erythrocyte fatty acid composition in the depressed patients were found in our previous study, but the relationship between erythrocyte membrane fatty acid levels and different severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms remains to be explored.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 139 patients with first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression and 55 healthy controls whose erythrocyte fatty acid composition was analyzed. Subjects with depression was divided into severe depression and mild to moderate depression, or depression with severe anxiety and mild to moderate anxiety. Then the differences of fatty acid levels among different groups were analyzed. Finally, the ROC analysis was applied to identify potential biomarkers in distinguishing the severity of depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: Levels of erythrocyte membrane fatty acid were elevated among patients with severe depression compared to healthy controls or patients with mild to moderate depression in almost all kinds. While C18:1n9t (elaidic acid, EA), C20:3n6 (eicosatrienoic acid, EET), C20:4n6 (arachidonic acid, AA), C22:5n3 (docosapentaenoic acid, DPA), total fatty acids (FAs), and total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were elevated in patients with severe anxiety compared with patients with mild to moderate anxiety. Furthermore, the level of AA, C22:4n6 (docosatetraenoic acid, DTA), EA, and combination of all three were associated with the severity of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that erythrocyte membrane fatty acid levels have the potential to be the biological indicator of clinical characteristics for depression, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety. In the future, more research is needed to explore the causal association between fatty acid metabolism and depression.

PMID:37217258 | DOI:10.1093/ijnp/pyad021